# US 12,224,487 B1 · Method and apparatus for connection and deployment of trailing wire antennas > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,224,487 B1 - Document ID: US12224487B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 18/366,542 - Filed: 2023-08-07 - Published: 2025-02-13 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2023-08-07 - Assignees: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy - Applicants: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy - Inventors: David Carlos Dawson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12224487B1 ## CPC - H01Q 1/30: Means for trailing antennas - H01Q 1/28: Adaptation for use in or on aircraft, missiles, satellites, or balloons - H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72) ## Abstract A trailing wire antenna connector comprising: a spool; a trailing line and a conductive socket. The trailing line is configured to be wound around the spool and consists of a non-conductive line segment joined to a conductive wire segment via a conductive plug. The non-conductive line segment is connected to the spool. The conductive socket is configured to be mounted to a fuselage so as to be electrically insulated from the fuselage and electrically connected to a feed line of an RF receiver. The conductive socket has an opening through which the conductive wire segment may pass but that is too small for the conductive plug to pass such that when the conductive plug comes into contact with the conductive socket the conductive wire segment is electrically connected to the feed line. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A trailing wire antenna connector comprising: a spool; a trailing line configured to be wound around the spool, wherein the trailing line consists of a non-conductive line segment joined to a conductive wire segment via a conductive plug, and wherein the non-conductive line segment is connected to the spool; and a conductive socket configured to be mounted to a fuselage so as to be electrically insulated from the fuselage and electrically connected to a feed line of an RF receiver, wherein the conductive socket has an opening through which the conductive wire segment may pass but that is too small for the conductive plug to pass such that when the conductive plug comes into contact with the conductive socket the conductive wire segment is electrically connected to the feed line. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The trailing wire antenna connector of claim 1, wherein the spool is mounted within the fuselage. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The trailing wire antenna connector of claim 2, further comprising a drogue parachute connected to a free end of the conductive wire segment. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The trailing wire antenna connector of claim 2, wherein the conductive socket is a flat metal plate attached to the fuselage with non-conductive bolts. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The trailing wire antenna of claim 4, wherein the conductive plug has a conical shape. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The trailing wire antenna connector of claim 2, wherein the conductive socket is funnel-shaped. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The trailing wire antenna connector of claim 2, further comprising an antenna coupler operatively connected to the conductive socket. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The trailing wire antenna connector of claim 1, wherein the feed line is a center conductor of an RF coaxial cable and the fuselage is electrically connected to a conductive shield of the RF coaxial cable. ### Claim 9 A trailing wire connector comprising: a conductive socket having a wide opening on a first end and a narrow opening on an opposite end, wherein the conductive socket is physically connected to, and electrically insulated from, a fuselage such that the wide opening faces the fuselage, and wherein the conductive socket is electrically connected to a feed line of a transceiver and the fuselage functions as an electrical ground; a conductive wire having a distal end and a proximal end, wherein the conductive wire is capable of resonating at a desired frequency, and wherein the conductive wire has a cross-sectional profile small enough to pass through the narrow opening; a conductive plug electrically and physically connected to the proximal end of the conductive wire and sized to fit through the wide opening but not fit through the narrow opening of the conductive socket; a non-conductive line having a distal end that is connected to the conductive plug opposite the conductive wire; and wherein the non-conductive line, the conductive plug, and the conductive wire are configured to be wound around a fuselage-mounted spool such that, when the fuselage is in flight, the non-conductive line, the conductive plug, and the conductive wire may be unspooled with the conductive wire passing through the narrow opening until the conductive plug comes into contact, and forms an electrical connection, with the conductive socket thereby forming a trailing wire antenna. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The trailing wire connector of claim 9, wherein the conductive socket is funnel-shaped. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The trailing wire connector of claim 9, wherein the conductive socket has the shape of a truncated cone. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The trailing wire connector of claim 9, wherein the spool is mounted within the fuselage. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The trailing wire connector of claim 12, further comprising a drogue chute attached to the distal end of the conductive wire. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The trailing wire connector of claim 13, further comprising a weight attached to the distal end of the conductive wire. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The trailing wire connector of claim 9, wherein the feed line is a center conductor of an RF coaxial cable and the fuselage is electrically connected to a conductive shield of the RF coaxial cable. ### Claim 16 A method for providing a trailing wire connector comprising: mounting to a fuselage of a UAV a conductive socket having an opening therein; electrically insulating the conductive socket from the fuselage; electrically connecting the conductive socket to a feed line of an RF cable; electrically connecting a metal shield of the RF cable to the fuselage; winding a trailing line around a spool and mounting the spool to the fuselage, wherein the trailing line comprises a non-conductive line segment separated from a conductive wire segment by a conductive plug, and wherein the conductive plug is electrically and physically connected to a proximal end of the conductive wire and sized to not fit through the opening of the conductive socket; and when the fuselage is airborne, unspooling the trailing line through the opening of the conductive socket until the conductive plug comes into contact with the conductive socket creating an electrical connection between the conductive socket and the conductive plug thereby forming a trailing wire antenna. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method for providing a trailing wire connector of claim 16, further comprising rewinding the trailing line around the spool to retract the trailing wire prior to landing. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method for providing a trailing wire connector of claim 16, further comprising catching the UAV when airborne by grasping the trailing wire antenna. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the UAV is selected from a group consisting of a fixed-wing UAV, a quad-copter, and an Earth-orbiting satellite. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising using an antenna tuner to adjust an operating frequency of the trailing wire antenna.